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Estradiol blood testing may detect risk of osteoporosis in men

Category: Hormones and Metabolism

Osteoporosis and broken bones are a common risk as people age but are mostly associated with women rather than men. The disease is four times more common in women, but according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, about 2 million men have full-blown osteoporosis in the U.S.

A new study by researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University found that men with low levels of the hormone estradiol are more prone to bone fracture than those with normal levels of the hormone. They also found that low levels on a testosterone test combined with high levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) are also linked to higher risk.

"In clinical practice today, estradiol and SHBG levels are not commonly measured when assessing skeletal health or fracture risk in men," said Dr Eric Orwoll, co-author of the study.

Identifying those at risk of bone fracture in old age may be important as a large Canadian study recently discovered that in patients aged 50 and over, broken hips lead to a 25 percent chance of death within five years and broken backs result in a 16 percent chance of dying over the same time frame.